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Introduction Many children and their families, especially those from priority populations, experience barriers to accessing high-quality early childhood health, education, social and legal services. Further, these families are often under-represented in service planning and research; hence innovations are not designed to meet their needs. Our aim is to codesign with families and the wider community, a Strength-based, Tiered, Accessible Resources and Supports for Kids (STARS for Kids) programme to optimise child development, parental mental well-being, and family psychosocial needs in the first 2000 days from pregnancy to start of school.Methods and analysis This study will employ a mixed methods design at three sites: (1) Fairfield, urban multicultural site in South-Western Sydney New South Wales; (2) Taree, a regional town with a large Indigenous community; and (3) The City of Wanneroo, a low socioeconomic area of Western Australia. The codesign process will involve five phases of the design thinking methodology informed by culturally safe, strengths-based, and trauma-informed practices. Codesign will involve families, service providers, and community leaders from priority groups such as multicultural stakeholders from South-Western Sydney and an Aboriginal Community Consultation Group with Biripi Elders and other local Indigenous representatives at Taree. Data collection will include semi-structured interviews, workshops, or focus groups as well as ‘yarning’ for the Aboriginal community. Qualitative data will be thematically analysed using Braun and Clarke’s six-phase method of thematic approach.Trial registration number Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry - ACTRN12624000806561 (This protocol pertains only to the initial codesign phase, during which the STARS for Kids tiered care model will be finalised for subsequent implementation and evaluation in the next trial phase which is outlined in the trial registry).